Healthy Chocolate?

Chocolate is seemingly everywhere and the temptation to indulge
is high. After all, when a craving hits, who can resist that
melt-in-your-mouth richness and smooth, creamy texture of a good
piece of chocolate? Whether you need a mood boost, have something
to celebrate, or are simply saying, "I love you," a box of
chocolates is just right. Now, new studies suggest that the health
benefits of chocolate might make it more than just a satisfying
treat. Researchers have isolated powerful disease-fighting
substances in chocolate, with some early studies showing that
certain kinds of chocolate may help lower blood pressure and stave
off heart disease. Before you call chocolate a health food,
however, learn more about this research and what it may mean for
your sweet tooth.

Sweet MedicineChocolate comes from the cacao (or cocoa) bean, and since the
Spanish explorer Hernando Cortés penned a letter about the
frothy cacao beverages of the New World to the emperor of Spain in
1520, chocolate has had a place in our diet. It was first used as
medicine to treat everything from tuberculosis to gout to low
virility, but by the end of the 18th century, the plant dubbed
Theobroma cacao, or "food of the gods," began creeping into our
culinary vernacular. Eaten in slabs, sorbets, desserts, and even
soups and pastas, chocolate was so common by World War I that it
was used as a ration for the troops. Today chocolate is an
ingredient in cooking worldwide, from the savory sauces and moles
of Mexico to the sweet, smooth French chocolate éclair.

Yet, the pendulum could be swinging back. With some intriguing
health news now emerging about chocolate, this tasty treat may once
again be elevated to medicinal status. It started when scientists
began to wonder about the historical uses of chocolate as medicine.
"It's not so unusual when you consider the beans of the cocoa plant
are extremely rich in flavonoids," says Carl Keen, Ph.D., a
nutrition professor at the University of California at Davis who
has done extensive research on chocolate. Flavonoids are potent
plant antioxidants, and for years scientists have said that
antioxidants can exert a positive influence on health by
neutralizing damaging free radicals, substances believed to advance
aging and promote disease. Many fruits, vegetables, red wine, and
teas also contain flavonoids. Now researchers are zeroing in on
flavonoids in chocolate and identifying a different subclass:
flavonols. It's these compounds that appear to pack the most health
benefits.

One German study, for example, found that eating dark chocolate
high in flavonoids may reduce blood pressure. In the same study,
however, flavonoid-free white chocolate yielded no change in blood
pressure. As part of the study protocol, 13 volunteers with high
blood pressure munched on a custom-made, 3.5-ounce dark chocolate
bar for two weeks and then switched to eating the same amount of
white chocolate over the next two weeks. During the dark chocolate
phase, systolic blood pressure (the maximum pressure created when
the heart muscle contracts) dropped an average of five points.
Diastolic pressure, the pressure in the arteries when the heart
muscle relaxes between beats, dropped about two points. (A
reduction in both is optimal for those with high blood
pressure.)

However, there is one stumbling block in the case for the health
benefits of chocolate: Not all of them are created equal when it
comes to flavonoid content. Most reports, like the German study
mentioned above, suggest dark chocolate may harbor the highest
amounts of these compounds. But some experts say that chocolate's
flavonoid content has nothing to do with color and everything to do
with how it's processed. two rules of thumb when looking for
chocolate rich in flavonoids: First, dark chocolate in general has
two to three times the amount of flavonoids found in milk
chocolate. If you're looking for the highest amount of flavonoids,
it's best to choose a brand that has a high cocoa content, 70
percent or greater. On that list are gourmet chocolates such as
Lindt, El Rey, Scharffen Berger, Lake Champlain, and Ghirardelli.
As for other brands of chocolate with lower cocoa contents, it's
hard to predict the health benefits they may deliver. And, more
importantly, any benefits chocolate may provide need to be weighed
against its nutritional downside-mainly, its high fat content.

Fat FactsIf you look strictly at the numbers, a 1.5-ounce bar of
chocolate has around 235 calories and between 13 and 14 grams of
fat, six to nine grams of it the artery-clogging, saturated kind.
That's a lot of calories and fat for such a small amount of
chocolate. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels, and high
cholesterol levels can clog arteries. However, some of the
saturated fat in chocolate is in the form of stearic acid, which
doesn't raise cholesterol. Stearic acid is in cocoa butter, which
is the main fat in chocolate. The liver converts stearic acid to
oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, which isn't damaging to the
heart. Some researchers argue, however, that, regardless of stearic
acid, chocolate is still a high-fat, high-calorie food. Small
amounts can be worked into a healthy diet, but large quantities
aren't a recipe for good health, particularly when you consider how
many Americans are overweight, says Penn State University
nutritionist Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D. She suggests a leaner way
to get that chocolate fix: Opt for cocoa, the powder formed when
cocoa beans are ground and stripped of cocoa butter.

Trick or Treat?As comforting as it is to think your next chocolate fix may
be good for you, think twice. The reason is simple: "Eating any
food in excess of caloric needs, including chocolate, will cause
weight gain," Kris-Etherton says.

In the meantime, Richard Mattes, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition
at Purdue University, says there's nothing wrong with enjoying the
comfort food status of chocolate in moderate amounts. "It's how
often and how much that's the issue," he says. Adds Kris-Etherton:
"Instead, incorporate it into an already healthy diet that
meets-doesn't exceed-energy needs." Until there are more controlled
clinical trials examining the health benefits of chocolate, and the
magnitude of those effects, and until flavonoid-rich chocolates
become more common, it may be wise to dip into that bucket of
trick-or-treat chocolate with discretion.

Maureen Callahan, a chocolate lover, is a frequent contributor
to Cooking Light.